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New Orleans Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram (14) moves the ball down court against Charlotte Hornets guard Nick Smith Jr. (8) in the second half of an NBA basketball game in New Orleans, Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2024. The Pelicans won 132-112. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
NEW ORLEANS— Brandon Ingram put an emphatic, crowd-pleasing end to his recent shooting slump.
Ingram highlighted a 28-point performance with a career-best seven 3-pointers to go with 10 rebounds and 10 assists, and the New Orleans Pelicans set a franchise record for 3s with 25 in a 132-112 victory over the Charlotte Hornets in the NBA on Wednesday night.
Ingram “was aggressive from the start,” Pelicans coach Willie Green said. “He was playing fast, playing with force, no hesitation on his part and it was a dominant effort across the board.”
It was the third career triple-double for Ingram, who received a standing ovation as he checked out of the game for good in the final minutes. That scene came one game after he missed a late 3-pointer for a tie at Dallas on Monday in a loss to the Mavericks, capping a two-game stint in which he made just seven of 25 shots and missed all five of his 3-point attempts.
“Just playing a little bit freer, taking what the defense gave me,” Ingram said. “I don’t miss a lot of shots. So, when I start to miss shots, I’m thrown off a little bit. But also, I got to have a short memory, continue to keep shooting. That’s what I tried to do tonight.”
Brandon Ingram tallied a TRIPLE-DOUBLE in the Pelicans’ win against the Hornets!
28 PTS | 10 REB | 10 AST | 7 3PM pic.twitter.com/5UbWxyPsIl
— NBA (@NBA) January 18, 2024
CJ McCollum scored 22 points and hit four times from deep. Rookie guard Jordan Hawkins made six 3s and finished with 21 points for New Orleans, while Trey Murphy III hit five 3s and scored 18.
Zion Williamson scored 13 points and also kicked the ball out for nine assists, and New Orleans finished with 32 assists on 44 field goals.
“It’s hard for teams to match up with that shooting and spacing, especially when you put the ball in Z’s hands or BI’s hands and you have shooting around those guys,” Green said. “We know in order to score against the best teams and be a highly efficient offense, we have to be willing to take catch-and-shoot 3s, open 3s.”
Hawkins and Murphy give the Pelicans a pair of premier perimeter shooters who could help New Orleans do just that.
“It’s really fun out there,” Hawkins said of playing with Murphy on the opposite wing. “I don’t think I’ve played with a guy who can shoot the ball like that — arguably shoot the ball better than me, like, ever, in my life.”
LaMelo Ball had 29 points and Terry Rozier added 25 for Charlotte, which trailed most of the game and by 24 in the second half.
Nick Richards added 10 points and 12 rebounds for the struggling Hornets, who have lost six straight and 17 of 18.
All that losing, Richards said, “is something we don’t want to think about, because we want to learn from this game — and we’ve got to get better from this game and each loss. We just have to keep going.”
The Pelicans hit their first six 3s and nine of their first 11, building a 17-point lead in the first half. New Orleans had 16 assists on 16 baskets in the first quarter — a franchise first.
Charlotte briefly rallied to pull to 66-61 at halftime before New Orleans pulled away again in the third quarter, when Ingram scored 14 points.
Hawkins credited Ingram for being “mentally tough,” adding: “Being able to come out here and drop a triple-double, that shows how tough he is.”
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Hornets: Host San Antonio on Friday.
Pelicans: Host Phoenix on Friday.
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